Travel

Justin Richard Cooke leaves the Cairns Courthouse after he was granted bail. It is believed that he has cost Qantas $120,000 after a flight between Sydney and Japan was forced to make an emergency landing in Cairns so the 34-year-old could be arrested. Picture: Marc Mccormack Source:
Cairns Post

Justin Cooke 'drunk' on on Qantas flight to Japan

Confronted when he smokes in toilet

Restrained and pilot diverts plane to Cairns

Arrested but too drunk to appear in court next morning

Faces four charges

A DRUNK and unruly passenger is alleged to have cost Qantas $120,000 after a flight from Sydney to Japan was forced to make an emergency landing in Cairns to throw the man off the plane.

Justin Richard Cooke, 34, was granted bail on Tuesday to live with his mother in Western Australia after facing the Cairns Magistrates' Court for allegedly lighting a cigarette in the aircraft's toilet and assaulting a cabin crew member who confronted him, The Cairns Post reports.

The court was told the pilots on flight QF21 to Tokyo had to dump 60,000 litres of fuel before the plane with 350 passengers on board could land at Cairns International Airport, which wasclosed at the time and had to reopen to facilitate the emergency landing at 1.45am.

The drama unfolded about 30 minutes into the flight as Cooke became heavily intoxicated, drinking from a bottle of vodka he brought on to the aircraft. He became agitated when cabin crew confronted him for lighting a cigarette, Ms Meginyte said.

"The defendant then punched a cabin manager in the chest," Ms Meginyte said.

He was restrained but spat in the eyes of the cabin crew manager.

The court heard Mr Cooke registered a blood-alcohol reading of 0.300 per cent when he was arrested by the AFP.

He was too drunk to appear in court yesterday morning, so appeared in the afternoon where he faced four charges, which include lighting a cigarette on an aircraft, behaving in an offensive matter, assault and acts threatening the safety of persons in an aircraft.

A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites.